Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Sese Plantains
Ingredients
Directions
Peel and cut each plantain into 6 rounds.
Put into a saucepan with water and boil for 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, pepper and onion and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add in the cube vegetable stock and palm oil.
Cover the saucepan and simmer for at least 5 minutes, before stirring the oil into the food.
Let it cook for another 10 minutes and season to taste.
Sprinkle with roasted cashew nuts to serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cashew | 1 oz (28g / ~18 nuts) | 157 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Walnut | 1 walnut half (4g) | 26 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Plantain | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + cashew nuttop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together360 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + cashew nuttop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together86 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green plantains
- Starchy base that softens during boiling and thickens the stew.
- Tomatoes
- Add moisture and acidity that give the stew its body and flavour.
- Onion
- Adds savoury sweetness and aroma as it softens in the liquid.
- Palm oil
- Adds fat and colour, and carries flavour through the stew.
The step that matters
Stirring the oil into the food. Palm oil should be stirred in only after the pan has simmered covered for a few minutes. Stirring too early can break the stew unevenly and leave oil separated, so the fat disperses and emulsifies more smoothly into the starchy liquid.
Swap the cashew nut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, pepper, onion):
- Black-eyed peafits better
- Beansfits better
- Chickpeafits better
- Cashew nutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, pepper, onion. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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